The Incident

That first image remained in my mind forever. After that day, I started to notice him when he was around, usually sitting alone, reading behind the long desk at one of the outdoor study corners facing the campus park. Nobody ever gets closer than two chairs beside him, and it’s a common thing. I just looked at him from the distance. But somehow at the same time, I felt more and more eager to know him personally because his mysterious and out-of-reach aura somehow attracts me more into him. I guess I am a bit of a competitive and easily challenged person, so I feel more attracted to someone who looks distant and unapproachable like him.

I might sound like a stalker right now. No, I am not intended to stalk on him, yet every single time I saw him, I can’t help but watch him closely, just like today at the parking lot (Well, maybe just a bit!) He’s a jewel to my eye, 185-190 cm tall, wavy shoulder-long black hair, often tied in a bun like a far-east imperial prince, and his hairstyle always gets along well with his perfectly tanned olive skin. His face looks like a mixture of many races. He has a perfect pointed Caucasian nose, high and angular Indian cheekbones, thick eyebrows, slightly curvy and pointed in the outer edge and cleft chin like a middle-eastern. His chiseled jaw with the 5 o’clock stubble is breathtaking, and his eyes were an amazingly deep blue.

Today he wore plain dark grey long-sleeve tees that are fashionably oversized and sleeves pulled into an elbow-length and fitted dark blue designer jeans. His hair was tied loosely with a small black rubber band but some shorter hair on his forehead was not be able to hold inside the bun, and those wavy locks framed the side of his angular face and touched its tips on his chiseled jaws. He slings his backpack only in his left shoulder, and that always makes him look more careless. After the first time, I saw him smoking, I feel like I could spot him almost every day, and that makes me feel that my eyes have a radar for his presence.

I am really busy on campus that day. I held a pile of books while walking out from the library, the books I planned to read on my research attempts in our latest play this fall at the theatre club, Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The vampire, Dracula, and other superstitious books I held were piling pretty high and obstructing my sight since I am a pretty small person, and suddenly I bumped into someone and the book I held scattered around us.

“Be careful, could you?” snapped the guy I bumped with a cold voice.

I looked up and saw that the one I bumped was Clayton. OH SHOOT! I guess whenever I’m too busy, my Clay-radar is turned off. I didn’t even know how he could get in my way, I didn’t see him at all. I panicked, imagined how angry he could be being bumped with those dusty old books. I heard from a few of my classmates that he gets irritated very easily, and when he does, he always watches us with his sharp, piercing looks, and it’s scary. That’s why most people don’t dare to get close to him.

I could feel his piercing gaze looking down at me. I didn’t even dare to look up again at his face, especially when the tiny me is just as tall as his chest. How could I be so clumsy and careless today? Stupid Anita…

“I’m sorry…I didn’t see you there”, I replied while I bent down, piling those books back from the floor to my hands one by one.

“Of course you can’t see anything, this book tower is obstructing your sight. Here”, he replied while handing me the books.

Unpredictably, he suddenly bent down in front of me, helping me collecting those scattered books around. When he bent down, I finally could see his face very close to mine, and it made my heart thump.

Damn!! He looks even finer up close! His olive skin is so smooth and fair, and I can even slightly smell his perfume, a light musky smell with a fresh citrus vibe along with a hint of bitter, tangy tobacco. Interesting.

“Thanks,” I said very slowly.

I wasn’t expecting him to help me at all, after his first cold words, even a bit surprised when he handed me the books. But the next second, our eyes met and his deep blue eyes looked into mine while his hand touched the tip of my hands. Those seconds seem soooo long and feel like someone just pressed down the ‘slow’ button on a time controller.

“Okay that’s all, just don’t bump into anyone again, shortie. You could have buried someone alive with these books”, he said nonchalantly.

“Sure”, I replied.

Wait, did he just call me shortie? Body-shaming much??? Well, this time I think I’ll just let it go.

And he left after he smirked a little at me.

OMFG!! What was that??? I made contact with the “amazingly-gorgeous-brilliant-actor –who-made-me-constantly-head-over-heels-since-I-saw-him-smoking” guy!!!!!! AND HE EVEN SMILED AT MEEE!!!!!!

Well, okay, just a smirk… but I thought it was a nice start, though. Thanks, Clayton, your smile will be enough to feed me the whole day, and makes my diet easier. I will spend the rest of the day thinking of your smile, not chocolate bars and snacks.

Yes. That was cheesy, I know, sorry, don’t judge me... but what can I do? *sigh*